First-of-its-kind measure to help build and preserve more than 70,000 homes

Contra Costa County would receive $1.9 billion

By John Goodwin, Assistant Director of Communications & Rebecca Long, Director, Legislation & Public Affairs, Metropolitan Transportation Commission

The Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, adopted a resolution to place a general obligation bond measure on the November 5 general election ballot in each of the nine Bay Area counties to raise and distribute $20 billion for the production of new affordable housing and the preservation of existing affordable housing throughout the region. BAHFA is jointly governed by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG)’s Executive Board and by the BAHFA Board, which is comprised of the same membership as the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). 

The bond could create 72,000 new affordable homes – more than double what would be possible without a bond. Without more funding, only about 71,000 affordable homes will be built or preserved in the Bay Area over the next 15 years – a status quo that is failing to meet the needs of the people who live and work here.

Currently, the Bay Area doesn’t have enough homes for the people who live here. As a result of the region’s housing shortage: 

• In 2022, 37,000 people were unhoused in the Bay Area. 
• 1.4 million people—23% of Bay Area renters—spend over half their income on rent. 
• High rents and home prices force people to live far from work, making congestion and pollution much worse, and putting a major strain on working families.
• Too many Bay Area residents live in overcrowded and unsafe housing.
• Vital employees and community members are leaving the area.

Wednesday’s unanimous vote by the BAHFA Board marks the final discretionary step in the process to place the measure on the November ballot. Under state law, each Bay Area county will now take a non-discretionary, ministerial vote to place the measure on the ballot in that county, in accordance with election deadlines. 

The BAHFA bond measure currently would require approval by at least two-thirds of voters to pass. Voters throughout California this November will consider Assembly Constitutional Amendment 1 (ACA 1) — which would set the voter threshold at 55 percent for voter approval of bond measures for affordable housing and infrastructure. If a majority of California voters support ACA 1, the 55 percent threshold will apply to the BAHFA bond measure.

“Today’s vote is the culmination of so many years of effort by so many people all around our region,” observed BAHFA Chair and Napa County Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza. “The Bay Area’s longstanding housing affordability problems affect all of us, our friends, our neighbors and our family members. This vote is about preserving opportunity for everyone.” 

The proposed BAHFA bond measure calls for 80 percent of the funds to go directly to the nine Bay Area counties (and to the cities of San Jose, Oakland, Santa Rosa and Napa, each of which carries more than 30 percent of their county’s low-income housing need), in proportion to each county’s tax contribution to the bond. In consultation with its cities and towns, each county would determine how to distribute bond funds to best meet its jurisdictions’ most pressing housing needs. These distributions would include:

• Contra Costa County: $1.9 billion
• Alameda County: $2 billion
• Marin County: $699 million
• Napa County: $118 million
• San Francisco County: $2.4 billion
• San Mateo County: $2.1 billion
• Santa Clara County: $2.4 billion
• Solano County: $489 million
• Sonoma County: $553 million
• City of Napa: $246 million
• City of Oakland: $765 million
• City of San Jose: $2.1 billion
• City of Santa Rosa: $242 million

The remaining 20 percent, or $4 billion, would be used by BAHFA to establish a new regional program to fund affordable housing construction and preservation projects throughout the Bay Area. Most of this money (at least 52 percent) must be spent on new construction of affordable homes, but every city and county receiving a bond allocation must also spend at least 15 percent of the funds to preserve existing affordable housing. Almost one-third of funds may be used for the production or preservation of affordable housing, or for housing-related uses such as infrastructure needed to support new housing. 

The California Constitution currently does not allow bond funds to be used for tenant protections such as rental assistance, but planned investments in new housing and affordable housing preservation will protect tens of thousands of low-income renters and vulnerable residents. 

The BAHFA Board also adopted, on Wednesday, resolutions approving the Authority’s Business Plan and its Regional Expenditure Plan, which explain the prioritization for use of the funds that would be directly administered by BAHFA. 

Oversight and accountability provisions to be included in the BAHFA bond measure include the creation of a special bond proceeds account; establishment of a Citizens’ Oversight Committee that would review the expenditure of bond proceeds and report to the BAHFA and ABAG Executive Boards on whether the funds were spent appropriately; an independent annual performance audit; a requirement that all bond-projects be consistent with state laws on labor standards; a requirement that administrative costs not exceed the amount prescribed in state law; and a prohibition against any public official who voted to send the ballot measure to the voters bidding on any work funded with proceeds from the bond. 

The ABAG Executive Board voted unanimously at its April meeting to adopt a resolution approving BAHFA’s Business Plan and its Expenditure Plan, as well as to endorse placement of the bond measure on the November ballot. In her remarks preceding the vote, ABAG President and Napa County Supervisor Belia Ramos noted, “This is a remarkable milestone moment for our region. Housing stability is essential for our community to thrive, and this proposal is a once-in-a-generation opportunity.”

Read the Bond Report and learn more about the bond measure, here and here.

Joins the other Assemblymembers representing Contra Costa: Wilson, Bauer-Kahan and Wicks, who support offering up to 20% for down payment or closing costs, not to exceed $150,000

By Allen D. Payton

A bill to make illegal immigrants eligible for the California Dream for All Shared Appreciation Loan Program, which provides up to 20 percent of downpayment assistance to prospective homebuyers, passed the State Assembly last month on a vote of 56-15. All four Assemblymembers representing Contra Costa County voted in favor of Assembly Bill 1840, including Tim Grayson (D-15), who represents Antioch, Lori Wilson (D-11), Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-16) and Buffy Wicks (D-14).

Wicks also voted for the bill, authored by Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula (D-31), as a member of the Assembly Appropriates Committee.

According to CalFHA, “The Dream For All Shared Appreciation Loan is a down payment assistance program for first-time homebuyers to be used in conjunction with the Dream For All Conventional first mortgage for down payment and/or closing costs. Upon sale or transfer of the home, the homebuyer repays the original down payment loan, plus a share of the appreciation in the value of the home.”

The program offers up to 20% for down payment or closing costs, not to exceed $150,000 and is not on a first come, first served basis. The homebuyer must register for a voucher and a randomized drawing will select registrants who will receive the voucher.  The program requires at least one borrower be a first-generation homebuyer and all borrowers must be first-time homebuyers.

According to the Legislative Counsel’s Digest, “Existing law establishes the California Housing Finance Agency in the Department of Housing and Community Development, and authorizes the agency to, among other things, make loans to finance affordable housing, including residential structures, housing developments, multifamily rental housing, special needs housing, and other forms of housing, as specified. Existing law establishes the California Dream for All Program to provide shared appreciation loans to qualified first-time homebuyers, as specified.

Existing law establishes the California Dream for All Fund, which is continuously appropriated for expenditure pursuant to the program and defraying the administrative costs for the agency. Existing law authorizes moneys deposited into the fund to include, among other moneys, appropriations from the Legislature from the General Fund or other state fund.

This bill would specify that an applicant under the program who meets all other requirements for a loan under the program, including, but not limited to, any requirements imposed by the Federal National Mortgage Association or other loan servicer, shall not be disqualified solely based on the applicant’s immigration status.

By expanding the persons eligible to receive moneys from a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation. The bill would recast the fund so that appropriations from the Legislature from the General Fund or other state fund are deposited into the California Dream for All Subaccount, which the bill would create and make available upon appropriation by the Legislature for specified purposes.”

AB 1840 is now up for votes by the State Senate Housing and Judiciary Committees before a possible vote on the floor.

Supporting educators, programs and organizations serving grades K-12. Apply today! Deadline: Oct. 13

By Madelyn Schieder, PR Coordinator, H/L Agency

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Applications are now open for the 2024 McDonald’s Golden Grants program. To apply, eligible entities can visit McDonald’s Golden Grants through October 13.

CORRECTION: McDonald’s Owner/Operators across the San Francisco Bay Area, Eureka, and the Central Coast will be selecting deserving educators, non-profit organizations, and the like, who represent programs that fuel the imagination, education, and growth of students, as recipients of a McDonald’s Golden Grant. Entering its third year, the program has awarded $65,000 in its first two years.

In 2023, 17 grants were awarded throughout San Francisco Bay Area, Eureka, and the Central Coast. Amongst these grants was Sonoma recipient, Kid Scoop News.

“With the generous funding from the McDonald’s Golden Grants, we were able to supply 10 classrooms, or 250 students in Contra Costa County monthly copies of their very own Kid Scoop News, providing access to engaging reading materials and literacy-supporting activities is key to a student’s success in reading,” said Kid Scoop News.

This year, grants will be awarded in the amounts of $10,000, $5,000, $2,500, and $1,000 based on creativity and hands-on application of projects. Please see below for applicable counties.*

Qualifying activities include arts programs, education initiatives, mentorship and empowerment programs, after-school programs, community service, sports activities, and technology.

Recipients of a Golden Grant will be announced on October 13.

*In California: Contra Costa, Alameda, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma.

About McDonald’s USA

McDonald’s USA, LLC, serves a variety of menu options made with quality ingredients to millions of customers every day. Ninety-five percent of McDonald’s approximately 13,500 U.S. restaurants are owned and operated by independent business owners. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter @McDonalds and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mcdonalds.

Opportunity Junction, Rubicon Programs to receive unrestricted grant funding over 3 years as well as access to nation-wide learning community and network of Community Progress Makers

Part of a collective $9 million in grants to 9 Nor Cal nonprofits working locally in latest expansion of the initiative

NEW YORK – The Citi Foundation (“the Foundation”) announced last month that nine nonprofits based in Northern California have been selected as part of the fourth cohort of the Community Progress Makers initiative, among 50 nationwide. Two of the organizations are located in Contra Costa County, including Antioch-based Opportunity Junction and Richmond-based Rubicon Programs which also has offices in Antioch and Concord.

First launched in 2015, Community Progress Makers provides unrestricted funding to visionary organizations that work locally to connect low-income communities to greater economic opportunity. With this latest cohort, the Foundation has now committed $115 million in grants to Community Progress Makers since its inception.

The current cohort of Community Progress Makers has been selected through an open request for proposals (RFP) process announced this past fall, which focused on organizations working in the areas of affordable housing and access, economic development, financial health and workforce readiness.

“Unrestricted grant support is in high demand and low supply and we have witnessed how transformational this type of funding can be for community organizations,” said Brandee McHale, President of the Citi Foundation and Head of Citi Community Investing & Development. “This is why we are pleased to support the innovative solutions and deep community work that the organizations in this fourth cohort of Community Progress Makers are leading in Northern California through flexible, trust-based funding.”

“These Northern California-based Community Progress Makers are working at the forefront of pressing local issues, from workforce and economic development to housing and financial health,” said Philip Drury, Head of Global Technology and Communications Banking, Citi. “The flexible philanthropic capital that Citi Foundation is deploying will help these social innovators double down and find new ways to advance their work.”

All recipients will have access to a learning community where they can collaborate and share best practices with a network of Community Progress Makers across the country, as well as receive technical assistance delivered by national experts and leading researchers. Combining their local expertise and track record of community impact with a national network of resources and changemakers, these nonprofits are poised to accelerate their community-based work in Northern California.

Opportunity Junction

Opportunity Junction recently celebrated the expansion of its services with the grand opening and ribbon cutting of their Healthcare Career Pathways Training Center. The organization launched a new Medical Assistant (MA) Training program on June 3rd in the new facility.

In addition, Antioch Mayor Hernandez-Thorpe declared May 15th as ‘Opportunity Junction Day” in honor of the organization’s dedication to empowering individuals and building brighter futures.

Driven by the fundamental belief that everyone who works hard deserves the opportunity to succeed, their mission is “to help motivated Contra Costa County job seekers develop the skills and confidence to launch careers that lead to financial security.”

“We’re not just helping people find jobs; we’re transforming careers and lives,” said Brianna Robinson, President & CEO of Opportunity Junction. “Since 2000, we’ve been building foundations for better futures. Our Healthcare Career Pathway addresses the urgent need for healthcare professionals. With a quarter of Californians projected to be over age 60 by the next decade, we’re facing a critical shortage of healthcare workers.

Rubicon Programs

According to Rubicon’s Marketing & Communications Manager Angelica Huerta, This $1 million grant will significantly support Rubicon’s mission to increase economic opportunities for justice-impacted individuals and those disconnected from the workforce over the next three years. Rubicon is one of nine grant recipients in Northern California.

The Community Progress Makers initiative supports local community organizations that connect low-income communities to greater social and economic opportunities. This grant will provide Rubicon Programs with unrestricted funding, access to technical assistance from national experts, and opportunities to share learnings through virtual and in-person convenings.

“It is a big deal for Rubicon to be seen and welcomed as a valuable contributor within an amazing national network of talent and expertise. In addition to the grant support, we are excited to build community and exchange learnings to collectively strengthen the access to opportunity for justice impacted job seekers across the nation,” said Dr. Carole Dorham-Kelly, Rubicon’s President and CEO.

Rubicon Programs serves a diverse community of low-income adults through comprehensive services that address historic and systemic inequities. By maintaining connections with participants for up to three years, Rubicon prioritizes job placement and retention support, legal services, leadership development, wellness services, and financial health coaching.

“If passion and commitment alone were enough to end poverty, we would have already won the war on poverty. This investment from Citi will support the design and implementation of cutting-edge, win-win solutions that leverage the strengths of and address the complex challenges faced by the communities we serve,” said Adrienne Kimball, Rubicon’s Chief Talent Officer. “It will also equip our team with the tools and knowledge they need to increase their capacity. We are incredibly grateful for this partnership with Citi.”

The grant will enable Rubicon to address two major community challenges: a lack of access to quality jobs for justice-impacted individuals and those displaced from the workforce, and the need for regional employers to remove barriers to quality jobs. Rubicon will expand its influence over employer practices and public systems standards, creating a more equitable and inclusive workforce.

Participants enrolled in Rubicon’s programs benefit from a holistic approach that promotes long-term self-sufficiency through coaching, systems navigation, and experiential opportunities.

Rubicon’s four pillars—income, assets, wellness, and community connections—form the foundation of its theory of change, aimed at breaking the cycle of poverty.

Seven Other Nor Cal Non-Profit Organizations Receive Grants

The other seven community organizations selected to the fourth cohort of Community Progress Makers in Northern California include six located in the San Francisco Bay Area and one in Fresno:

• ASIAN, Inc.
• ICA Fund
• Mission Asset Fund
• MyPath
• Northern California Land Trust
• Pacific Community Ventures
• Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation

“As an organization working to expand economic mobility for nearly two decades, we’ve learned that it takes innovation and an adaptive multi-pronged approach to address the needs of underserved communities,” said Margaret Libby, Founder & CEO, San Francisco-based MyPath. “That is why the unrestricted support from the Citi Foundation through the Community Progress Makers initiative is so transformational – it puts each nonprofit in the driver’s seat and offers the flexibility and support to maximize impact in our communities.”

About Opportunity Junction

Since 2000, Opportunity Junction has been providing training, support, work experience, and placement assistance, which help motivated Contra Costa County job seekers launch careers that lead to financial security. When we work together, motivated job seekers develop the skills and confidence they need to succeed. Their success makes their families and our community stronger. For more information visit opportunityjunction.org.

About Rubicon Programs

Rubicon Programs transforms East Bay communities by equipping people to break the cycle of poverty. Since 1973, Rubicon Programs has provided job training and placement, financial education, behavioral health, and other supportive services to low-income people in Contra Costa County, and in Alameda County since 2005, to break the cycle of poverty. Today, Rubicon operates sites in Antioch, Concord, Richmond, Oakland and Hayward. Learn more at www.rubiconprograms.org.

For more information about the grant program, please visit citifoundation.com/cpm and follow the impact these organizations are making at #ProgressMakers on social media.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

3 give each council member $20K to spend on community events in their districts for the first time ever

After saying last year, “not now or in the future will I ever support an increase,” Torres-Walker flip flops joining 3 other members to support council pay raise

By Allen D. Payton

During their meeting on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, the Antioch City Council approved the Fiscal Year 2023-25 Mid-Year Budget based on balancing it with $4.6 million from the Budget Stabilization Fund and over $4 million saved from city staff vacancies. That figure is currently pegged at 100 positions.

In addition, a new budget item approved by the council majority allocates $20,000 for each council member to spend on community events in their district. Plus, four of the council members approved moving forward a pay raise of as much as $300 per month to $1,900, for the part-time policy-making positions.

The council had to allocate $4.3 million in remaining federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) COVID-relief funds, which have to be spent by the end of this year.

At the beginning of the Regular meeting, Antioch City Attorney Thomas L. Smith reported out from the council’s closed session meeting on the matter of hiring a new city manager that, “the city council gave direction to the city attorney and Human Resources Director” but nothing more.

Mid-Year City Budget Approval

The council approved the 2023-25 Mid-Year budget using $4.617 million from the Budget Stabilization Fund, leaving a balance of $31.7 million, and $4.065 million from savings due to staff vacancies.

District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica pointed out, “We’ve been able to add every year to the Budget Stabilization Fund.”

“It’s due to salary savings,” said City Finance Director Dawn Merchant. “It’s there for future use.”

Her budget report shows there were 100 city staff vacancies at the time of its writing.

“We’re almost $4 million more than when it started,” Barbanica added.

Merchant then shared, “The General Fund Reserve is estimated to have approximately $32 million. It will continue, once we get past this wave of having vacancy savings.” She then pointed out that projected “revenues are $97.3 million and expenditures are over $101 million.”

“So, we should be looking at some reduction in spending.” Barbanica stated.

“Hopefully, over the next year we can tackle some of these vacancies,” Merchant said. “We’re kind of in a crazy cycle. When we do get to the point where we don’t have the 120 vacancies, the expenditure numbers are going to continue to rise.”

Council Majority Adds $20,000 for Each Member to Spend on Community Events in Their Districts

District 1 Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker spoke first about a first-time ever, proposed budget allocation available to each council member for use on community events in their Districts, complaining about the amount in the city staff report for the budget.

“I think $2,000 is a slap in the face. My number was between $10 and $20,000 for each councilperson for community events, things other city councils get to do,” she stated. “I don’t mean campaign funds. Some of us are using our own hard-earned dollars to give back to the community.”

“I agree with Councilmember Torres-Walker,” Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe said. “I do spend a lot of my own money.”

Torres-Walker then suggested $5,000 but “that is low.” Hernandez-Thorpe suggested $10,000. District 4 Councilwoman Monica Wilson suggested, “up to” $10,000.

“You don’t have to use it. But it should be available,” Torres-Walker added.

“I will work with you all so there will be legal parameters,” City Attorney Smith stated.

“It’s like my newsletter that I do. We don’t want to confuse that with my campaign,” the mayor shared.

Neither Ogorchock nor Barbanica offered any comments on the matter and the council majority agreed to allocate $10,000 to each council member for a total of $50,000 included in the budget.

Hernandez-Thorpe later suggested the amount be increased to $20,000 each for a total of $100,000, receiving approval from both Wilson and Torres-Walker.

Other Additions to the Budget

The council also approved the following additions to the budget:

• $100,000 for the mural program;
• $100,000 for outsourcing internal affairs investigations in the police department;
• $500,000 for new radios for both the police and other City departments as part of a total $2 million expenditure;
• $560,000 for 8,000 sq. ft. of concrete replacement at City parks and other parks maintenance work;
• $85,000 in FY25 for extra tree work in the Street Light & Landscape Districts;
• $389,929 to pay down the Police Supplementary Plan unfunded liability; and
• $277,131 remaining set aside for non-profit organizations in the community.

Ogorchock then spoke about the use of the remaining ARPA funds saying, “We have an opportunity…Hope Solutions for the project off Contra Loma.”

“That’s going to CDBG (Community Development Block Grant funds council subcommittee) this Thursday,” Barbanica interjected.

“I would like to be able for us to help them…to get this project going,” Ogorchock continued. “There’s another project off Delta Fair. Father Robert wanted a project on the property at St. Ignatius. So, there’s another project, there.”

Merchant than said, “Of the $4.3 million in remaining ARPA funds, $1.8 million will go for the building purchase, plus there will be some needed upgrades…design work,” referring to the former PG&E building on the corner of W. 2nd and I Streets for additional city staff offices instead of the former Rivertown Resource Center on W. 10th Street, as previously reported.

Merchant also mentioned spending, “$2.1 million for the Angelo Quinto Response Team. They’re asking for a one-year contract extension. What we are proposing is, if the council is agreeable to extending the contract, that takes the $1.37 million off the table for other projects that we could fund.”

“I don’t want you allocating more than we have,” she stated.

“Are they providing, number one, a benefit to the community and a benefit to the department keeping police from going to these calls?” Barbanica asked about the response team.

Acting Police Chief Brian Addington responded by simply saying, “Yes”.

“We need more presentations like that,” Torres-Walker said with a laugh.

The council approved the $2.1 million in ARPA funds for the one-year extension for the Response Team.

Ogorchock and Barbanica then attempted to adjourn the meeting at 10:46 PM, as the council has agreed previously to adjourn their meetings by 11:00 PM. But the other three council members voted against their motion.

4 Councilmembers Agree to Move Forward With Pay Raise

City Attorney Smith then provided a brief staff presentation on a possible council pay raise, saying, “The state already approved this, so the council just has to say, ‘yes’.”

“This will be for the next council,” Barbanica pointed out, to which Smith responded, “This council is not increasing their salaries.”

“Are we agreeable to bring back the ordinance?” Hernandez-Thorpe asked.

“Yes,” said Torres-Walker, joining the mayor, Wilson and Barbanica. The mayor didn’t ask Ogorchock her views on the matter as he already had consensus from the other councilmembers.

According to the city staff report for the agenda item, “On June 29, 2023 Governor Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 329…which increases the compensation that councilmembers of general law cities may receive for their work. The City of Antioch is included in the bracket cities over 75,000 up to and including 150,000 in population, which may compensate councilmembers up to and including one thousand nine hundred dollars ($1,900) per month totaling twenty-two thousand eight hundred dollars ($22,800) per year” for the part time position.

The council members currently each receive $1,600.04 per month, after approving a 70% pay raise from $941.60 per month in 2019 on a split vote with then-Councilman Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe and Councilwoman Monica Wilson voting in favor, and Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock casting the lone “no” vote.

The council did not support a pay raise of about 16% last year, which would have provided each $1,825.25 per month. Thorpe said he supported it and Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker was opposed saying, “I would like the public to definitely know, that not now or in the future will I ever support an increase, unless it’s something that absolutely has to happen, regardless of whether we vote on it or not as a council.” Wilson wanted the state legislature to set council salaries, Ogorchock made no comment on the matter and Councilman Mike Barbanica was absent.

The $299.96 per month increase would result in an 18.75% pay raise which can’t go into effect until after the November election, resulting in an impact of $18,000 per year to the city budget.

In addition, according to the staff report, “Senate Bill 329 also authorizes the salary of council members to be increased beyond the specified maximum to an amount not exceeding the greater of either 5% for each calendar year from the effective date of the last adjustment of the salary or an amount equal to inflation since January 1, 2024, based on the California Consumer Price Index (not to exceed 10% per calendar year).”

However, the council cannot vote for automatic future pay raises. Since it can’t go into effect until after the November elections, it only for sure benefits Torres-Walker and Wilson, and whomever is elected mayor and in the council races in Districts 2 and 3. Barbanica is running for county supervisor and Ogorchock can’t run for reelection, unless she moves into District 2, as she was gerrymandered out of her district and into Wilson’s neighboring District 4 by the council majority during redistricting in 2022. (See related article)

City staff will bring back a resolution for a vote by the council on a future meeting agenda.

The council then adjourned the meeting at 10:52 PM and all other items on the agenda will be postponed to a future council meeting.

Good health starts in the community

By Antonia Ehlers, PR and Media Relations, Kaiser Permanente Northern California

When you think of Kaiser Permanente, you might think of its hospitals and health plan.

What you may not know is Kaiser Permanente is a nonprofit organization committed to improving the health of the communities it serves.

In 2023, Kaiser Permanente invested $1.3 billion dollars in its Northern California communities and $113 million in the Diablo service area to support community health.

A significant part of these investments supported access to quality health care for people in need through Kaiser Permanente’s participation in California’s Medi-Cal program. The investments also supported 98,000 patients who received medical financial assistance to pay for surgeries, prescriptions, and other care at Kaiser Permanente Northern California facilities.

In addition, Kaiser Permanente made significant investments in the education of new health and mental health care professionals, charitable contributions to community partners working to improve conditions for health, and medical research to improve the delivery of health care for all.

Learn more about Kaiser Permanente’s efforts in your Northern California community by going to the Community Health Snapshot and clicking on “Communities We Serve”.

Antioch Unified to receive $522.5K directly, more from $1.775 million grant to CCC Office of Ed Consortium

By Emma Gallegos, EdSource.org

California has made good on a promise in the 2022 budget to invest in programs that simultaneously prepare students for both college and career. 

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced Friday that the state has released $470 million to 302 school districts, charters and county offices of education to fund the Golden State Pathways program.

The program allows students to “advance seamlessly from high school to college and career and provides the workforce needed for economic growth.”

“It’s an incredibly historic investment for the state,” said Anne Stanton, president of the Linked Learning Alliance, a nonprofit that advocates giving youth opportunities to learn about careers.

Both the state and federal governments previously made big investments in preparing students for college or career at the K-12 level, but the Golden State Pathways program is different in that it challenges school districts, colleges, employers and other community groups to create “pathways” — or a focused series of courses — that prepare K-12 students for college and career at the same time. These pathways aim to prepare students for well-paying careers in fields such as health care, education and technology, while also ensuring that they take 12 college credits through dual enrollment courses and the A-G classes needed to apply to public four-year universities.

“By establishing career technical pathways that are also college preparatory, the Golden State Pathways Program provides a game-changing opportunity for California’s young people,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Thurmond said in a statement.

The Golden State Pathways are an important part of the new master plan for education — Newsom’s vision to transform career education in California — which is expected by the year’s end.

The state is distributing the vast majority of the funding — $422 million — to enable schools to implement their plans in partnership with higher education and other community partners. The remaining $48 million will assist those who still need grants for planning.

All sorts of schools throughout the state — rural and urban, large and small — benefited from the funding.

Schools in the rural Northern California counties of Tehama and Humboldt — whose K-12 enrollment is under 30,000 students — jointly received about $30 million to implement and plan pathways to help students stay on track for college and careers with livable wages.

“That’s a big deal to have that kind of influx going to that many small schools,” said Jim Southwick, assistant superintendent of the Tehama County Office of Education, which plans to expand career pathways in education, health care, construction, manufacturing and agriculture.

Schools in Tehama had previously begun to implement career pathways at the high school level in concert with local employers and Shasta College. However, many students struggled to complete the pathways because they were ill-prepared in middle school, Southwick said. 

But one middle school pilot program did successfully introduce students to career education, he added, leading to an influx of funding through the Golden State Pathways that will expand the program to other middle schools. 

Long Beach Unified, the fourth-largest district in the state, received about $12 million through the Golden State Pathways program. District spokesperson Elvia Cano said the funding will provide counseling and extra support for students navigating dual enrollment, Advanced Placement courses, college aid, externships and other work-based learning opportunities.

The district also plans to increase access to dual enrollment through partner Long Beach Community College and to create a new pathway in arts, media and entertainment at select high schools.

Advocates are celebrating the governor’s commitment to the program despite the uncertainty surrounding the budget this year.

Linda Collins, founder and executive director of Career Ladders Project, which supports redesigning community colleges to support students, said, “It’s an impressive commitment at a time that it’s desperately needed.” 

Newsom said in a statement that this funding will help students even if they don’t go to college , saying it “will be a game-changer for thousands of students as the state invests in pathways to good-paying, high-need careers — including those that don’t require college degrees.”

UPDATE:

A total of almost $7.7 million in Implementation and Planning Grants were awarded to schools in Contra Costa County.

Antioch Unified Awarded Funding

Asked if the Antioch Unified School District has or will be receiving any of the funding, Acting Superintendent Dr. Rob Martinez shared, “While the District has not received formal notification as of yet from the California Department of Education, the information below has been listed on the CDE websites as reports of funding allocations. 

The first link is for fund to districts as direct funding, which shows Antioch Unified School District receiving $522,500” for an Implementation Grant.

“There will also be an award to the Contra Costa County Consortium Grant which we opted to be part of which is listed at $1,775,000 (We anticipate that we will see a portion of those funds, to be determined by the consortium),” he added.

Other Contra Costa Districts, One School Also Awarded Grants

According to the CA Department of Education’s Implementation Grant Funding chart posted last month, the West Contra Costa Unified School District received the greatest amounts in the county with two grants for $2,680,000 and $2,050,000, respectively for a total of $4,730,000.  John Swett Unified School District also in West County was awarded $465,100.

In addition, the Aspire Richmond California College Preparatory Academy qualified for $199,955 in funding for a Planning Grant,

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Proposed $20 billion regional November bond measure seen as way to close the gap

By Kate Hartley, BAHFA & Justine Marcus, Enterprise Community Partners

Enterprise Community Partners (Enterprise) and the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) released the Bay Area Affordable Housing Pipeline 2024 Report, last month, which analyzes affordable housing projects in various stages of predevelopment and identifies solutions for moving them toward completion. The updated research reveals there are now 433 projects in various stages of predevelopment that would create more than 40,896 affordable homes across the nine-county Bay Area. These would account for nearly a quarter of the 180,000 affordable homes the state’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) Plan determined are needed in the Bay Area by 2031. (See related articles here and here)

Affordable housing developments typically are supported by a capital “stack” investment that includes a commercial mortgage; Low-Income Housing Tax Credits; tax-exempt bonds; and additional local, regional and state dollars that fill the gap between the cost of the development and the financing secured through debt and equity. The new report calculates that the hundreds of Bay Area projects now in the predevelopment pipeline need $9.7 billion in public funds to move forward, and that a $20 billion regional bond measure proposed for the ballot in Bay Area counties this fall would help close this gap.

“We’ve been stuck in an affordable housing crisis that has overwhelmed the region. The November ballot presents an opportunity to unlock thousands of affordable homes for Bay Area residents,” said Heather Hood, VP and Northern California Market Leader at Enterprise. “We expect voters to have a chance to end our housing crisis and deliver the dignified, healthy homes the Bay Area community needs and deserves.”

The predevelopment pipeline includes projects in all nine Bay Area counties. These include more than 10,000 units in both Alameda and Santa Clara counties, with another 8,400 affordable homes pending development in San Francisco and more than 3,000 units in both San Mateo and Sonoma counties. Project pipelines in other Bay Area counties range from over 300 affordable homes in Solano County to 1,173 units in Marin County; nearly 1,500 homes in Napa County; and over 2,500 units in Contra Costa County. Each Bay Area city, town or county currently is working on its own to meet the challenges of housing affordability and homelessness.

“The need for affordable housing transcends jurisdictional boundaries. BAHFA’s proposed bond measure would finally allow our Bay Area to take a regional approach to a regional problem,” said BAHFA Director Kate Hartley. “With significant new resources for every county, we can build at scale, deliver equitable solutions, and create a better way to deliver the affordable homes Bay Area residents need.

The updated Bay Area Housing Pipeline research brief was presented at today’s regularly scheduled meeting of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Bay Area Housing Finance Authority Oversight Committee.

About Enterprise Community Partners 

Enterprise is a national nonprofit that exists to make a good home possible for the millions of families without one. We support community development organizations on the ground, aggregate and invest capital for impact, advance housing policy at every level of government, and build and manage communities ourselves. Since 1982, we have invested $54 billion and created 873,000 homes across all 50 states – all to make home and community places of pride, power and belonging.

About the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority

Established by the state legislature in 2019, BAHFA’s mandate is to create regional solutions that meet the Bay Area’s affordable housing needs. It is the first regional housing finance authority in California. BAHFA works together with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG).